Stuck
by MusicLuvr38
Summary: Adam has bad luck, until the day he gets stuck in an elevator...


**STUCK**

**Characters:**

**Adam**-28 years old, brown hair, average height and weight, has an anger management problem

**Ursula**-47 years old, gray hair, chubby, greedy

Lauren-27 years old, red hair, small, skinny, positive thinker 

**Miriam**-28 years old, brown hair, small, average weight, professional

**Brian**-29 years old, black hair, tall, average weight, shy

**Charley**-27 years old, brown hair with blonde highlights, small, a little overweight, sarcastic

**Brienna**-26 years old, black hair, slim, average height, has a jealousy problem

**Setting:**

Present day, San Francisco

**Scene 1**

(As curtain goes up, alarm clock buzzes)

ADAM  
(Yawns then look at alarm clock) Oh my god! It's 7! I'm gonna be late!

(ADAM gets out of bed, eats breakfast, etc. While he's pulling his pants up, he bumps into his dresser and knocks over a trophy that hits him on his foot)

ADAM  
OW! Geez… (Looks up as if talking to God) You got me in for a big one today.

**Scene 2**

(ADAM runs into conference room at work out of breath)

ADAM  
(Explaining to URSULA) I'm really sorry. There was such a huge traffic jam this morning on route 23.

URSULA  
No problem, Adam. You're right on time, 7:15, but before you go I would like to see you in my office.

ADAM  
Ok…

(ADAM and URSULA walk into URSULA'S office)

URSULA  
Please, take a seat, Adam.

(ADAM sits down in the chair across from URSULA)

ADAM  
Sure, boss. So do you know who got that raise?

URSULA  
Yeah…Adam, We all love you here at Hasbro. You're nice, caring, a very good thinker too. (Goes on speech)

ADAM  
(Thinking) Oh wow. I got the raise! I GOT THE RAISE! This is great! Maybe Lauren was right. Maybe my life doesn't-

URSULA  
You're fired.

ADAM  
Excuse me?

URSULA  
I just told you! Along with raises, we have to cut a couple hundred people.

ADAM  
A COUPLE HUNDRED!

URSULA  
I'm really sorry. Pack your belongings and leave. Please.

ADAM  
I thought I was your best man. I was the one who could get anything done.

URSULA  
I'm terribly sorry, but you must pack and leave.

ADAM  
Well I'm "terribly sorry" that I ever worked here. Good-bye and GOOD RIDDANCE!

(Storms out)

**Scene 3**

(ADAM packing up his belongings in his office)

LAUREN  
Knock knock.

ADAM  
(Sounding depressed) Hey Lauren.

LAUREN  
What's wrong today? More bad luck? Come on, Adam, it can't be THAT bad.

ADAM  
But it is! It's been like this ever since high school. I don't know how it started, but I have bad luck. I do. And you don't believe me, my best friend.

LAUREN  
Of course I believe you.

ADAM  
Yeah right.

LAUREN  
Well, it's just…my common knowledge takes over and…I'm sorry I disappoint you. But your life isn't as bad as you think it is.

ADAM  
Of course not. You're telling me my life's not bad, when you get everything you want.

LAUREN  
That's not true.

ADAM  
Yes it is. You get the hot job, with the hot salary, and the hot guy to make you feel even better than you already are.

LAUREN  
Oh Adam, you'll find someone. You just-

ADAM  
Have to wait. I know. I know. Everyone has been telling me this.

LAUREN  
Maybe that's because it's true. You never know until you look. Someone's not just gonna come up to you and ask you on a date.

ADAM  
Great. To make matters even WORSE, I'm fighting with my best friend. This is just great. I'm telling you. Once it starts, IT DOESN'T END!

(ADAM storms off leaving LAUREN speechless.)

**Scene 4**

(ADAM, MIRIAM, CHARLEY, BRIAN, and BRIENNA are in the elevator waiting for their room)

BRIENNA  
(Quietly singing We Belong Together by: Mariah Carey) _…who's gonna talk to me when times get rough…oh baby baby…we belong together…_

(BRIAN cracks his knuckles. ADAM stares at him. A couple seconds later, BRIAN cracks his knuckles again.)

ADAM  
Is there a reason for you to do that?

BRIAN  
Oh. I'm sorry. (Pause) I-

(Suddenly the elevator stops moving)

ADAM  
Please don't tell me the elevator broke. PLEASE.

CHARLEY  
The elevator broke.

ADAM  
What are we gonna do?

MIRIAM  
Here's a button to reach maintenance. Maybe we should try it.

ADAM  
Well, why are you just standing there? PRESS IT!

(MIRIAM presses the button)

MIRIAM  
Hello? The elevator stopped moving. Is anyone there? Hello?

CHARLEY  
It's Friday afternoon. Maintenance is probably gone by now.

ADAM  
Are you kidding me?

CHARLEY  
I don't think so. We're…stuck.

ADAM  
WHAT!

CHARLEY  
Well, the elevator stopped moving and there's no response from the maintenance room.

BRIENNA  
What are we gonna do? Just sit here all weekend?

CHARLEY  
I don't know. Someone might come.

BRIENNA  
Why would someone come to work on a weekend? Especially Labor Day Weekend.

CHARLEY  
Who knows? Miracles might happen.

ADAM  
Not while I'm here.

MIRIAM  
Why do you think that?

ADAM  
I've had bad luck ever since high school. There's no way to get rid of it.

MIRIAM  
You think YOUR life is bad? Well, you've never heard MY story.

(Everyone sits down, as the stage becomes a split scene.)

MIRIAM  
I'm Jewish and I've always been proud of it. So growing up wasn't so easy. Starting in about 5th grade my parents became more and more religious. Of coarse they expected me to do the same.

**Scene 5**

(YOUNG MIRIAM steps up to CHRISTINA'S doorstep and rings the doorbell.)

YOUNG MIRIAM  
Hey Christie!

CHRISTINA  
Hey Mimi! Why are you at my house? Shouldn't you be at Hebrew School? It's Tuesday, remember?

YOUNG MIRIAM  
Yeah. Umm…I don't know how to tell you this…

CHRISTINA  
YOU'RE MOVING! NO! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO! I know! I can hide in one of your bags and be shipped with you!

YOUNG MIRIAM  
NO! WE'RE NOT MOVING!

CHRISTINA  
Then why aren't you at Hebrew School? You always loved going to Hebrew School instead coming over here.

YOUNG MIRIAM  
Well, we're taking a vacation. My parents and I.

CHRISTINA  
Where? How long? WHY CANT I COME WITH YOU!

YOUNG MIRIAM  
(starts to cry) Well, my zeda (ZEI-da) died.

CHRISTINA  
Your who?

YOUNG MIRIAM  
Zeda. It means grandfather in Yiddish.

CHRISTINA  
So?

YOUNG MIRIAM  
So! He's my GRANDFATHER and he just died. We have to make a Shiva Call in-

CHRISTINA  
Hold on. You're confusing me with all this Jewish talk. English please.

YOUNG MIRIAM  
Ugh…a Shiva Call is when after the death of a close one, you go to their house and pray for them.

CHRISTINA  
Oh. Well, where did he live?

YOUNG MIRIAM  
(Pause) Israel.

CHRISTINA  
ISRAEL! HOW LONG ARE THE CALLS!

YOUNG MIRIAM  
A week.

CHRISTINA  
A WEEK! WHAT ABOUT THE 9TH GRADE PROM! IT'S IN TWO DAYS!

YOUNG MIRIAM  
I tried to get my parents to let you come, but they said it was a family occasion, meaning family members only.

CHRISTINA  
We were supposed to go together like we do every year. Now it's like those memories mean nothing to you.

YOUNG MIRIAM  
(Teary-eyed) I'm sorry.

CHRISTINA  
I'm sorry we were ever best friends. I cant take anymore of this "religious Jew" stuff. It was so much better when we were little and you weren't religious at all. Now if you don't mind, I have some homework to get done. (slams door in MIRIAM'S face)

**Scene 6**

(Lights fade up on the elevator.)

MIRIAM  
Christina. She was the only close friend I had. After that incident, she kept telling people to not be friends with me because I'm not loyal to others. Which obviously was false. Unfortunately, everyone believed her.

ADAM  
Wow.

BRIENNA  
I had some roommates once who were religious Jews. They kept kosher and everything.

MIRIAM  
I always did that when I was little. I had to keep kosher, miss classes, and make up tons of work.

CHARLEY  
I never thought that Jews had it so tough.

MIRIAM  
You never know until you've lived it or sincerely heard and felt it.

BRIAN  
If you think she had a bad childhood, (cracks knuckles) my life was torture.

ADAM  
Why do you keep cracking your knuckles?

BRIAN  
It's the disease that I have. It's called Tourette Syndrome.

CHARLEY  
What's that?

BRIAN  
It's when I do things, physical and/or verbal, which I can't control.

ADAM  
What do you mean you can't control it?

BRIAN  
It's like when you sneeze, you have to close your eyes. Kind of like that.

ADAM  
What do you mean by physical or verbal?

BRIAN  
(Cracks knuckles) Ugh…I forgot to take my medicine.

ADAM  
What?

BRIAN  
Tourette Syndrome can't be cured, but it can control your tic.

ADAM  
Tic?

BRIAN  
Whatever you do that you can't control is called a tic. Whenever I'm nervous I start to crack my knuckles.

ADAM  
Oh.

BRIAN  
Do you wanna hear a story of one time when I really got sick of having it?

CHARLEY  
Sure.

(Stage becomes a split scene)

**Scene 7**

(YOUNG BRIAN is sitting at a desk in a classroom in the middle of class)

MRS. GREGORY  
So what is 8 squared?

STUDENTS  
64.

MRS. GREGORY  
Good. So I guess that means I can give a pop quiz on this material right now.

(STUDENTS moan and try to get MRS. GREGORY to not give the quiz.)

MRS. GREGORY  
Oh come on stop it! It's only 5 points.

(MRS. GREGORY hands out quiz. A few minutes later, YOUNG BRIAN loudly cracks his knuckles and STUDENTS chuckle.)

MRS. GREGORY  
Who just did that? (No one answers) If the culprit won't reveal him or herself then the pop quiz becomes a test grade.

YOUNG BRIAN  
I did.

MRS. GREGORY  
Again? Why can't you just stop? It's not that hard to sit still, is it?

YOUNG BRIAN  
Well…

MRS. GREGORY  
No it's not. Here's a pass. Now go to the principal's office.

YOUNG BRIAN  
Why?

MRS. GREGORY  
Young man, weren't you ever taught to respect your elders?

YOUNG BRIAN  
Yes.

MRS. GREGORY  
Well?

YOUNG BRIAN  
(Takes deep breath) I'm sorry, Mrs. Gregory.

MRS. GREGORY  
That's more like it. Is everyone done? Okay, now for the new unit: fractions. You can do anything with fractions: add, subtract, multiply, divide, and square. You learned how to add and subtract last year…(fades out)

MARY  
Hey Brian, are you the teacher's pet?

YOUNG BRIAN  
No. Why do you think that?

MARY

Because all that time you were blushing, the whole time.

YOUNG BRIAN  
(Trying to restrain from cracking knuckles) Was not.

MARY  
Why are you in denial? You guys make a cute couple.

(YOUNG BRIAN cracks knuckles and everyone looks at him. YOUNG BRIAN slips down his chair.)

**Scene 8**

BRIAN  
So I was known as "teacher's pet" all my life.

ADAM  
Whoa.

CHARLEY  
You think that's bad? I was eternally marked as "he-she" just because I have a guy's name.

BRIENNA  
What's your name?

CHARLEY  
Charley.

(BRIENNA starts to chuckle a little bit)

CHARLEY  
See?

ADAM  
Eww. Not only is that gross, but it's stupid. Personally, I like the name Charley. Whether it's for a boy or a girl.

CHARLEY  
Later, I realized how cool my name was. It was different than any girl I've ever known. Plus I'm named after my Grandpa who earned a purple heart in both world wars.

BRIENNA  
What's a purple heart?

CHARLEY  
It's a medal for bravery in battle.

BRIENNA  
Lucky you.

CHARLEY  
What are you talking about?

BRIENNA  
Even though you had a tough time, you still had a happily ever after.

CHARLEY  
Happily ever after?

BRIENNA  
Yes. Happily ever after. Although you were in a bad situation, you feel happy in the end.

CHARLEY  
So what's bad about that?

BRIENNA  
All my life I wanted to be a singer. My idol was Mariah Carey and still is. I listen to her all the time and sing her songs everywhere: in the shower, on the way to work, on the way home, even in random places when it's really quiet. But when I was in grade school, I never wanted anyone to know. I'm not exactly sure why, I just did. When the talent show came around, I never auditioned. When my friends were doing karaoke at their party, either I refused or stunk on purpose. I guess I always thought people would think I wasn't good. I don't know if I could withstand that kind of rejection. Watching people laugh at you because you're doing what you love. It's sad, but true. Everyone wants to be cool and perfect, but don't let that keep you down. I did and look where I am now. Hasbro worker. Which is really far away from professional singer. I do remember this one time at my friend's party I was forced to sing, so I did my best and after that, the applause was…amazing. People clapping for me. I've always wanted that. The next day I seemed like my friends forgot all about it. Usually they talk about what happens the night before if it was good, but not on the bus ride to school that morning. Eventually, I forgot too. I just remember because whenever I think of it, I remember and smile. I guess that's what keeps me going. Knowing the crowd loved me. I always wonder if maybe I went into the talent shows, the audience would love me just as well.

BRIAN  
Well, let's hear you sing.

BRIENNA  
Really? Only if everyone wants me to.

(ADAM, CHARLEY, BRIAN, and MIRIAM try to persuade BRIENNA to sing)

BRIENNA  
Ok ok. (Takes deep breath) (Sings We Belong Together by: Mariah Carey) _WHEN YOU LEFT I LOST A PART OF ME…IT'S STILL SO HARD TO BELIEVE…COME BACK BABY PLEASE 'CAUSE…WE BELONG TOGETHER…WHO ELSE AM I GONNA LEAN ON…WHEN TIMES GET ROUGH…WHO'S GONNA TALK TO ME ON THE PHONE…TILL THE SUN COMES UP…WHO'S GONNA TAKE YOUR PLACE…THERE AIN'T NOBODY BETTER…OH BABY BABY…WE BELONG TOGETHER_

(Long pause. Everyone is amazed that she can sing well.)

BRIENNA  
So…was it bad? Good? Anything?

ADAM  
That was wonderful.

CHARLEY  
I thought it was impressive because you'd never know that a voice like that could come from a person like you.

BRIENNA  
What do you think Brian?

BRIAN  
I thought it was…incredible. You're an amazing singer and you have an amazing personality to match up perfectly.

BRIENNA  
Thanks.

BRIAN  
Your welcome.

ADAM  
Wow. Everyone had a little something of his or her life that wasn't perfect. Miriam never had a best friend, Brian had a disease that he got teased about and he couldn't help it, Charley was being teased about being a he-she just because her name is a "guy" name, and Brienna never showed anyone her real talent and got stuck with a job she hates. Even though I have a lot of bad luck, things like that can scar you for life. I'm glad to be who I am, and that should be enough. I guess I wasn't really having bad luck. I just made the situation worse than it was. Maybe that's what Lauren was trying to show me. I never accepted her thoughts because I thought they were all wrong. Not anymore. Now I'm gonna listen when my friends tell me things and when bad things happen, I wont blame it on bad luck. I'll just deal with it like a human being.

(Suddenly the elevator starts moving down)

MIRIAM  
WE'RE SAVED!

CHARLEY  
Finally.

(BRIENNA starts singing Hallelujah Cannon)

BRIAN  
(to BRIENNA) Once I heard you sing, I fell in love with you.

BRIENNA  
Really?

BRIAN  
Yeah. I was just too nervous to say anything. You know how it is.

BRIENNA  
Yeah.

(BRIAN and BRIENNA start to move closer and then kiss.)

CHARLEY  
Aww. That's so romantic.

MIRIAM  
In a totally weird way, you're right.

ADAM  
She finally got her happy ending.

(The elevator stops at the ground floor.)

BRIAN  
Hey, anyone want to go grab a coffee? It's on me.

EVERYONE  
Sure.

(They all walk out of elevator as the curtain closes.)


End file.
